Going Once Going Twice
by Crackinois
Summary: A quick three-shot from a tumblr prompt: BPD holds a police charity date auction and Jane ends up on the auction block.
1. On the Block

**Going Once…Going Twice…**

**CH 1: On The Block**

"I cannot believe I agreed to this," Jane grumbled, rolling her eyes as Maura continued to primp in the hotel lobby bathroom.

"It's for a good cause," Maura flashed her a smile before reapplying her lipstick, blotting it on a single square of tissue and then finishing with a clear gloss. "Have you been to the memorial?"

Jane's face grew somber as she recollected the curved grey marble walls, block after block, top to bottom, engraved with names. So many names. Too many. She could remember how the weight of the atmosphere struck her on approaching the park. The still water of the rectangular pool. The life in the bronze lion statues' eyes, ever vigilant. How green the row of trees behind the walls must look when fully out from under the lingering spring chill and how inviting the grass must be for the business folk around lunchtime. That day, a breeze rustled through the park, catching the ribbons and loose petals on the thousands of arrangements that adorned the marble.

"Once," Jane looked down at the charity auction program in her hand. "I went down to National Police Week a couple of years after I joined the force. BPD's lucky, you know, we haven't had to put an in the line of duty name on that wall since 1994. _In valor, there is hope_," she recalled one of the inscriptions, "I…Hoyt, Marino, my name could have been on there next."

"Don't say that," Maura reached for her hand and squeezed it. "It's a very serious cause, but tonight is meant to be fun."

Jane allowed herself to be dragged from the bathroom, "It would be a lot more fun if I didn't feel like some kind of seedy escort. 'Dollars for Detectives'!? I mean, really, Maura!? They couldn't have come up with a better name for a date auction?"

"Don't worry Jane, no one is going to take you for an escort. An escort would have at least worn a dress," Maura didn't need to look back to feel the burn of Jane's scowl.

* * *

"I can't believe you agreed to this," Frankie laughed, snorting into his beer bottle as Jane and Maura approached. He eyed his sister's suit, the same one she'd been in all day at work, the faded blue cotton shirt underneath, the black boots with the worn scuffs on the toes. "Janie, maybe you should have worn a dress…"

"I told you…" Maura began to interject.

"Stop," Jane pointed at her and then flashed a death stare at her brother. "I agreed to be auctioned off on some random date to God knows who, nowhere did it say I had to wear a dress."

"Oh," Maura leaned a little to her right in order to see past Jane, "it would be appear Rafael dressed for the evening." She eyed the Lieutenant Detective as he walked towards the bar in his perfectly tailored suit, flashing her a wink and a smile much to her delight before he turned to order.

"Raf…Do not call him that," Jane grumbled.

"Why?" Maura questioned, "that's his name. Rafael…" She made sure to accent and roll the 'R' as she said it. "A very alluring name at that."

"Maura!" Jane snapped towards her, "You're planning to bid on him aren't you?" Voice ratcheting up in pitch; her brow furrowed as she stared at her friend.

"I brought a little cash…" her voice trailed off as she diverted her eyes to her glass of wine.

"A little…" Jane arched an eyebrow, "how much?"

"It's for a good cause, remember," Maura attempted to remind her.

"How much, Maura!?" Jane folded her arms as Frankie chuckled under his breath.

"One thousand…Jane!" Maura called out to her as Jane spun and walked away, leaving her and Frankie behind. She looked at her best friend's brother hoping for some enlightenment, "I fear I may be missing a critical social cue. Is…is Jane still attracted to Rafael, such that my going on a date with him would make her angry with me?"

"First of all," Frankie tilted his beer bottle towards her as he gestured, "Jane is not allowed to date my boss. Putting my foot down on that one. Second of all, no, I really don't think she's still attracted to Martinez. I think she gets jealous…" he stopped himself.

"Jealous? Of what?" Maura waited expectantly for an answer.

"I don't know, I mean…I…" Frankie stammered, "It's nothing, really. You know how she can be," he deflected. "We should grab some of the food before all the patrol officers here clear the buffet. Trust me, I know how those guys eat."

Maura noticed Jane get more and more restless in her seat as the evening slipped by through the dinner portion and as the silent auction winners were announced. The live music struck up again, the final interlude before the date auction was scheduled to begin. Singles and couples began to crowd the ballroom's dance floor; Maura smiled, wishing she could join them.

"You seem like you would like to be out there."

She felt his fingers drag lightly across her shoulder and looked up to see Rafael standing next to her, his hand outstretched. "Would you care to dance?" He asked.

Maura bit down on her lip and glanced over at Jane who was purposefully avoiding eye contact. "Thank you for the offer…Lieutenant, but I'm afraid I didn't wear shoes tonight conducive to dancing." He shrugged and walked away.

"You don't seem like you've had much trouble getting around in those shoes tonight, did Dr. Isles just tell a little white lie?" Jane prodded, glancing back towards her friend with a smirk.

"I find these shoes to lack appropriate traction on smooth surfaces," Maura qualified, "Thus, not making them ideal for dancing. But, it might be that at this particular moment I'm happy just sitting here with you."

Several minutes passed in silence between them as a waiter delivered another round of drinks and the dancing began to peter out with officers and guests returning to their tables. Jane glanced at her watch and sighed, "I think Stuart Morris is going to bid on me," she finally admitted.

Maura scrunched up her nose, "Officer Morris from the Hack Unit?"

"The very one," Jane begrudgingly looked several tables over where the balding man in his early forties was sitting, smiling creepily back at her before giving a little wave.

"Oh Jane," Maura reached over and patted her friend's shoulder reassuringly, "I'm sure many others will bid as well. You're an accomplished, attractive woman, there's not a person here who wouldn't be lucky to have the pleasure of your company for an evening."

Jane smiled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks pink. "Thanks," she said quietly under her breath as Frankie, Frost, and Korsak returned to the table. Her eyes flitted towards Maura, who watched intently as Lieutenant Cavanaugh strode across the stage to start the proceedings, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she stole the quick glimpse at her friend.

Cavanaugh tapped on the mic sending a reverberating shriek through the room. He flinched and then chuckled, "Sorry about that. I'd like to welcome everyone to the Boston Police Department charity auction, hosted by the Homicide Unit. It's been a great turnout and thanks to your generosity so far our silent auction earlier in the evening has raised close to five thousand dollars to assist with college tuition for Caroline Mulhaney, who is starting at BCU in the fall and is the daughter of Detective Mike Mulhaney who passed away earlier this year from cancer. On behalf of the Homicide Unit and the Boston Police Department, Caroline, we wish you a prosperous freshman year at BCU."

Applause echoed through the ballroom as the young woman stood and waved at her father's colleagues.

"Now," Cavanaugh began again, "the moment you've all been waiting for! Dollars for Detectives! Detectives from around the department have shamelessly put themselves up for auction with all proceeds going towards the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. All of our date packages have been graciously donated and we have paired them up with our brave detectives for you to bid on. So, without further ado, let the good times roll!"

The raucous crowd fell silent as the first detective took the stage. No doubt whoever had planned the order of the auction knew how to kick things off. Detective Kim Sanders walked with confidence across the stage to stand next to the podium and Lieutenant Cavanaugh.

"You guys are pigs," Jane laughed as her brother and partner struggled to pick their tongues up off the floor.

"She's worth coming up with something to get jammed up for," Frankie laughed, taking a swig of his beer.

"Bro," Frost reached out and offered a fist bump to his buddy, "she can investigate my internal affairs anytime!"

A few turns later the room had settled into entertained joviality. Waiters floated with ease amongst the tables filling drink orders as officers and guests hooted and laughed with and at their friends on stage. Frankie stood, straightened his tie and headed towards the stage for his turn.

"Go get 'em tiger!" Frost encouraged, socking his buddy playfully in the arm.

Cavanaugh waved him onto the stage, "Let's give a round of applause for the newly promoted Detective Frankie Rizzoli!"

Jane whistled as her brother took a little bow, "Way to go little brother!"

Frankie removed his suit jacket, tossing it in his best model imitation over his shoulder as he spun around for the crowd. Cavanaugh let out a little chuckle as he shook his head, "Enjoy a fun-filled evening Boston-style with Detective Frankie Rizzoli next Friday night. You'll have dinner at Eastern Standard before the game and then head to Fenway where you'll watch in luxury from the EMC club section with access to the VIP clubhouse. Let's start the bidding!"

Frost shot up out of his seat waving a $100 bill in the air, "One hundred!" he shouted as the room erupted in screams of laughter. Frankie pointed his finger at him and blew a kiss as more laughter rolled through the audience. "Those are amazing seats!" Frost chuckled, tucking the bill back in his pocket as the women in the room began driving the bid higher.

"You'd go on a date with Jane's brother for baseball tickets?" Maura asked with a confused smile.

"Maura," Jane butted in, "I'd go on a date with my brother for those tickets! Those tickets are like four hundred bucks a piece!"

Jane began to tap nervously on the table as Frankie stepped down from the stage. One more auction and then she would be up.

"It's just one night, Jane. Everyone knows that it's for the memorial. It's not a real date," Maura could sense her friend's growing unease.

"What if…" Jane turned towards her, "what if no one bids? And…everyone laughs and makes fun of me?"

The vast majority of the time Jane Rizzoli was the picture of confidence. But, every once in a while she allowed those close to her to see a glimpse of vulnerability. In that moment, dressed in that drab grey suit and those old scuffed boots, Maura felt Jane's femininity heavy in her words: the insecurity of being a woman and being judged and not wanted. And the motive behind Jane's refusal to wear a dress for the evening was suddenly very clear, that it would provide an excuse for why no one had bid on her rather than putting forth the effort only to be ridiculed by rejection.

Maura found herself speechless and before she could regain her wits to speak, the tall detective had stood, squared her shoulders and was stoicly making her way to the stage.


	2. Gone

**Author's note: What I intended as a two-shot is going to be a three shot, because I'm just really enjoying this idea and wanted to flesh it out a little more. So, there will be one more chapter after this one. Thank you all for the overwhelming response!**

**CH 2: Gone**

Jane took a deep breath and found a not often invoked prayer silently pass her lips as she stepped onto the stage. The distance to the podium seemed harrowing and inside she berated herself for the weakness she felt, for that moment of vulnerability that she had just admitted to Maura. She hated public displays like this, especially ones as anathema and awkward to her as a date auction. But, plain and simply, it was hard: being alone, being disappointed by the men in her life when she wasn't alone, and most of all trying to pretend like it didn't hurt. And though she knew Maura was right, the date auction wasn't about a real date; the evening had opened up a sore spot she had always found difficult to heal.

Her eyes couldn't help but seek out Stuart Morris, only to catch him leering back at her in anticipation of what kind of evening they would be spending together. The man talked about his work on the Hack Unit as if policing the city's taxicabs was tantamount to a special assignment from Homeland Security.

"Ah," Cavanaugh began as she crossed the stage towards them. "Enjoy a chic evening of witty repartee with Detective Jane Rizzoli at Meritage on the Boston harbor, where you will experience the exquisite handiwork of the head chef and wine director's culinary mission to pair world-class cuisine with the perfect vintage. Begin the evening with a tour of Meritage's five thousand bottle cellar and a specially prepared tasting flight, followed by dinner personally prepared by head chef Daniel Bruce. Let's start the bidding for what is sure to be a sensational experience for your taste buds!"

Jane held her breath, waiting…

"Two cents!" Came a shout from the side of the room. Jane and everyone at the tables turned to see Detective Crowe standing, his beer bottle thrust in the air. "Because that's what Rizzoli will be giving you all night, her two cents!" A swell of laughter began to ripple through the room.

As she was about to retort back, she was stopped short by Cavanaugh answering her less than esteemed coworker in her stead, "What was that Crowe? You're volunteering for the month of midnights that Youth Investigations needs filled to cover a maternity leave? I'll be sure to let the Captain know first thing Monday morning!" An even more raucous bout of laughter echoed through the room as Crowe hung his head, duly chastised, and took his seat.

"One hundred!" Stuart Morris bolted from his seat, grinning from ear to ear.

Jane waited, willing someone…anyone to bid against him.

"Two hundred," the accent of Lieutenant Rafael Martinez that Maura found so alluring raised the bid from across the room.

_Oh, crap_…_Really!?_ Jane thought. _Anyone. Anyone but Martinez_. Heart pounding in her chest, palms growing sweaty from nerves and the already acute feeling of embarrassment, her eyes began to search the room for a face, anyone tolerable that might be waiting for a connection before bidding. One of Frankie's old buddies from patrol maybe, they weren't such a bad group of guys. The new detective in Robbery, he had a nice smile and a Red Sox decal on his car so they'd have that in common at least.

"Three hundred!" Morris waved his hand in the air as if there would be some mistaking where the bid had come from.

From her table near the back Maura watched the exchange, the smile fading from her face as Lieutenant Martinez bid four hundred. Her eyes found Jane's and she tried to don a reassuring smile, but the look in Martinez's eyes as he stared at Jane on stage left her with a curious feeling. She tried to process it as Stuart Morris bid five hundred, and it suddenly hit her, a confusing heavy feeling of terror as recognition set in, Frankie's words from earlier in the evening ringing in her ears: _I really don't think she's still attracted to Martinez…I think she gets jealous… _Jealousy.

Martinez threw his hands up good naturedly, conceding. Maura's head whipped to her right as Stuart stood smugly, surveying the room as the bidding fell silent. At the front of it all, the silence made Jane go stiff, hands shoved deeply into her pockets to hide her clenching fists, pushing against the fabric wishing she could follow, folding herself up and hiding from the hundreds of pairs of eyes that were all focused on her.

"One thousand!"

An audible gasp rolled through the attendees, heads turning in the direction of the bid. "One…one thousand!" Lieutenant Cavanaugh repeated on stage, "To…Dr. Maura Isles. Do I hear another bid?" With shock and a pained look of disappointment on his face, Stuart Morris shook his head and dejectedly sat down. Silence followed in the wake of his defeat. "Alright then, the bid is one thousand dollars to Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Maura Isles, going once…going twice…gone!"

Jane's grip started on Maura's elbow when she reached her friend, spinning her away from the table and making a beeline for the ballroom exit and towards the lobby bathroom. Maura nearly stumbled trying to keep up with the detective's sweeping stride, glancing down as Jane's speed began to separate them, her hand trying to maintain a hold on Maura but slipping down to her wrist. Her touch was hot and Maura felt her own blood pressure rise. She wasn't even sure where the bid had come from. It was as if some unconscious part of her had acted without consulting her more reasonable faculties and before she could stop it she found herself standing and shouting out a bid for a dinner date with her best friend. Her best friend, whose face appeared to be anything but thankful for being rescued from an evening with Officer Stuart Morris.

As the bathroom door was finally visible, Maura struggled to keep pace, her fingers desperately closing around Jane's as her grip slipped lower still. Jane barreled through the door, stopped suddenly and turned, causing Maura to crash into her and nearly fall, her arms swung instinctively around the doctor and caught her, steadying her for a moment until she regained her feet.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Jane barked, stepping back.

Maura's eyes grew wide; she could feel the tears simmering just under the surface. _I…I wasn't thinking_. Which wasn't entirely true as she recollected that spark of jealousy she had felt at watching Rafael bid on Jane. But she couldn't say that. "You would rather have spent next Friday evening with Stuart Morris?"

Jane's mouth fell open, and then closed as she thought about how the auction had almost ended, "Well…no…"

"Then," Maura sniffled uncontrollably, "would you please stop yelling at me?"

The sight of the tears breaching the corner of her best friend's eyes caused Jane to suck in a sharp breath of air, "No, no, no…don't…" she spun around, spotting the tissues on the counter in front of the vanity mirror she snatched two handfuls and darted back to Maura. "Don't do that. Don't…please. I'm sorry," she held Maura's face still with one hand and began to tenderly dab at the tearstains on her cheeks with the tissue. "I'm sorry."

Reaching up, Maura covered Jane's hand with her own for a just a second to take the tissue, but in that second she felt a chill run from her fingertips, up her arm, and down her spine. "No, I'm sorry…I didn't meant to embarrass you."

Jane flexed her hands and stared down at the scar in the middle of her left palm before cupping it in her right and massaging roughly into the knotted skin and the now aching muscles and tendons beneath. "I'm not embarrassed. It just caught me off guard and…you shouldn't have bid that money on me…we have dinner together all the time."

Maura took Jane's hand, first working her wrist joint and then down into the tense tissue that Jane had created as she tried to stay composed on stage. Jane let her, her eyes dropping down to watch as Maura's deft touch began to stroke and massage the pain away, the way only her touch had been able to do for years.

"The money is going to the memorial; and, I was going to bid it anyway," Maura answered, not taking her eyes off Jane's hand, fearful to look up at the eyes she could feel staring back at her. "We do have dinner together all the time, but…" her voice trailed off, her touch stilling its final caress and enclosing Jane's hand. "But suddenly I just really wanted to have this particular dinner with you."

Jane's fingers closed around Maura's hand, returning the gesture, "Do I have to wear a dress?"

With a relieved giggle, Maura raised her gaze and smiled as Jane smiled apologetically back, "It would be nice…but you can wear whatever you want."

"Pick you up at 6:30?"

Maura pursed her lips and tilted her head as she thought, "Now, I'm not sure what the standard etiquette is, but I believe the one who purchased the escort should do the picking up…"

"Maura!" Jane groaned with exasperation, folding her arms across her chest. "Not funny."


	3. Better Than Chocolate

**Author's Note: Thanks for being patient and waiting for this last chapter, moving into a new house and not having internet sort of interrupted the update plans!**

**CH 3: Better Than Chocolate**

They hadn't mentioned the dinner to each other all week, but every time they walked together in the hallways at work, or stopped in the café for a cup of coffee, Jane could feel the other officers' eyes on them with smirks accompanying the looks. She wasn't sure that Maura noticed it, as oblivious as she so often was to social interactions, so Jane didn't mention it, so that Maura wouldn't worry that she had embarrassed her again. And that was the funny thing it occurred to Jane, that she wasn't embarrassed; that she didn't care what they were thinking about her and Maura.

"Well, are you going to let me see or not?"

Jane grumbled as she glanced over her shoulder towards the computer on her bed, "I'm almost done," she answered. "I just need to put some lipstick on."

"Lipstick!?" Frankie could barely contain the laughter. "Hey! Don't use that pink crap in the black tube that you always wear. That's a terrible color on you, Janie."

"Thank you for your expert cosmetic advice, Bobbi Brown," Jane scoffed at her brother. "I bought a new one, thank you very much." She walked towards the computer and turned it around so that Frankie could see, stepping back to try and fit in the skype window.

"Holy shit…" his voice trailed off.

"What!?" Jane dropped to her knees on the floor bedside the bed and looked into the camera, "That bad? Shit…" She stood up and trotted over to her closet.

"Jane!" Frankie called back to her, "Don't you dare take that dress off!"

She made her way back to the computer, the lack of confidence written across her face as her eyes pleaded to him for reassurance, "It's ok?"

"It's more than ok," he smiled. "You look beautiful, sis."

A blush crept across her cheeks, "You're sure? I haven't taken the tag off yet, I can return it…wear that black dress that Ma made my buy a few years ago."

"You bought a new dress for this?" He couldn't hold it in anymore; he laughed, the image on the screen growing choppy and blurry as he leaned over and shook with amusement.

Self-consciously, Jane ran her fingers along the straps of the dress. Maura would know it was new, she knew every single garment that Jane owned. Other than the black dress her mother had bought her, Maura had been the one to take her shopping, or had purchased her other dresses for her.

"I'm sorry," Frankie apologized seeing what little confidence she had fading, "I wasn't laughing at you. It's…" he paused, watching her face, the look of question. She still hadn't figured it out. Subconsciously, she was in the process of it, but he could tell in that moment that Jane wasn't entirely sure why she'd bought that new dress or fixed her hair, or put makeup on for a date that wasn't supposed to be a date.

"You should say what's on your mind, Frankie," she prodded, waiting expectantly for him to enlighten her.

If he told her what he knew was the truth…what Frost and Korsak and Cavanaugh knew, what Susie and everyone in the morgue knew, what half the department that spent any time in headquarters knew, then one thing was sure: Jane would spook and never make it out of her apartment for that dinner. "It's nothing, I'm just not used to seeing you all dressed up. Sometimes I forget you can look like a girl. You do look really beautiful, there won't be an eye in that restaurant that isn't focused on you, for all the right reasons."

"Thanks little brother," Jane smiled.

"And Jane," Frankie stopped her before she closed the computer, "If you tell anyone I was your fashion advisor for tonight, I'll deny it."

* * *

When the door opened, Maura's eyes started on Jane's face, the sheen on her lips and how the smoky eyeshadow made her dark brown eyes smolder. Her gaze dragged down slowly taking in the skin of Jane's neck and chest, tinted just slightly pink. She had to make a conscious effort not to dwell on the sight of cleavage, peaking tastefully out from behind a deep purple silk sheath dress with ruching around the midsection. Down further her eyes traveled, over the skirt that glimmered a lighter purple on the peaks and dipped down to almost black in the folds between. Her eyes traced the curve of hips down to where the fabric ended four inches above Jane's knees. Maura willed herself to meet Jane's eyes again.

"I…umm…" Jane stammered, holding the clutch purse she had bought to match the dress in front of her as she fiddled nervously with the clasp.

"You're breathtaking," Maura blurted out, almost speechless from the sight in front of her. "I…I've never seen you look more beautiful."

"Thanks," Jane answered, almost bashfully as she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. "We should, umm, get going before we're late for our reservation."

* * *

"The wine cellar was amazing, wasn't it?" Maura watched, captivated with how Jane now followed the steps the restaurant's wine director had taught them for how to maximize the sensory experience of a glass of wine. "I'd like to have something like that one day."

Jane let a small sip pass her lips. She'd already forgotten the name, it was long, French, and utterly impossible to pronounce, but it blossomed on her tongue with a full-bodied fruity bouquet that warmed on the way down. "Because you need a 5000 bottle wine cellar," she chuckled as Maura smiled coyly back.

"Perhaps one day I'll have someone to enjoy those bottles with. Local trips on days off to the vintners in the area. A weekend in California. Maybe a summer trip to the French and Italian wine country." Maura picked up her glass, swirled the dark burgundy liquid around the glass, sniffed, and took a slow and provocative sip, her eyes never dropping Jane's returned stare. "_You_ seem to have a new found appreciation for wine."

"It's not that I didn't appreciate it before…" Jane protested, "I just never had really good wine…until I met you. Kind of like that champagne at the Fairfield memorial that time. Apparently when you spend more than five bucks…" Jane's voice trailed off as she caught Maura staring at her again, her probing gaze setting her skin on fire everywhere it landed.

"Maybe it turns out that you like the finer things after all…" Maura was interrupted as the waiter brought their appetizers.

Jane felt the flush start on her chest and then streak up her neck to settle in molten hot circles on her cheeks. She was thankful the waiter had come, that Maura's attention had been diverted to his culinary spiel on the dish laid before them. Jane couldn't have cared less what corner of Tunisia the sprig of parsley, or whatever kind of garnish it was, had been handpicked from. She didn't really care if a vial of water from the Dead Sea had been flown all the way from the Middle East and evaporated to produce the salt that encrusted something or the other. But, Maura listened intently as the waiter conveyed the chef's vision. Jane glanced down at the plates; it hardly seemed enough food to be a vision, but Maura seemed enraptured by the creativity of the gastronomic process and subsequent experience, and suddenly, a leveling realization consumed Jane and coiled around her chest, constricting, cutting off her breath. She was enraptured with Maura.

"Are you ok?" Maura's brow furrowed as the waiter exited and she looked across the table at her friend.

"Yeah," Jane nodded, trying to force a smile, "I just need to run to the ladies room real quick."

The cold water from the sink did little to still the tremble in her hands, but at least it washed the perspiration away. Jane looked up into the mirror ahead. _You bought a new dress for this…_ She heard Frankie's voice from earlier echo in her mind. Her eyes appraised the reflection before her, the time she'd spent on her hair and makeup…the dress. The pounding in her chest grew frantic, yet invigorating. Her skin tingled with the memories of Maura's eyes dragging down her form. She felt warmth seep into her body when she recollected how every touch, no matter how innocent from her friend's hand had made her feel all week. And not just all week. As Jane stood there, staring in that mirror, months of hard fought stubbornness to hold onto confusion and blissful ignorance melted away. She was well and truly on a date with Maura, and she was relishing every moment of it.

Like that night at the date auction, Jane took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she went to face her fear. Only this time, the fear came coupled with an arousing exhilaration.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Maura questioned with genuine concern as Jane slid back into the booth.

"Yeah," Jane reached for one of the expertly plated morsels sitting untouched between them, "A little too much wine on an empty stomach is all."

* * *

Two pairs of eyes widened as a decadent chocolate dessert was placed between them. Chocolate, drizzled with chocolate, with flakes of chocolate, and somewhere in the list the waiter rattled off was an assortment of other things: truffles, ganache, raspberry liqueur. The waiter's mouth had practically made love to the description, as if there was nothing on earth at the moment better, and Jane had been positively skeptical that this was the prophet of pastries…until she laid her eyes on it and was very glad that all of those things, whatever they were, adorned the plate in front of her.

"I suppose it's a good thing we only ordered one," Maura smiled, "because the very sight of this is intimidating," she giggled.

Jane gasped, "THE Dr. Maura Isles, scared of a little chocolate! Say it ain't so." She winked to further convey the jest that was more than evident in her tone.

"If memory serves me correctly," Maura tapped her finger against her lip as she looked towards the ceiling in deep thought, "it's only you that has ever shown an irrational fear of chocolate."

Slowly, Jane pushed her fork into the dessert, "Chocolate from Jorge…is totally different." They both smiled.

"Oh," Maura exclaimed, her eyes darting around the table, "I seem to have sent my fork back with my dinner plate…"

Jane caught the fork almost at her lips, "That's ok, we can share mine." She diverted the first bite to Maura, holding her hand under the utensil in case it dropped, she reached across the small table to her friend's lips and smiled as the bite disappeared slowly between them.

"Mmm," Maura hummed, eyes fluttering, "that's absolutely heavenly, Jane. Try it!"

"Wow." Those studies Maura loved to rattle off had to be true on some level, Jane realized. Chocolate could make you happy…at least, this chocolate could.

She held the plate steady with her right hand while her left separated another bite to offer to Maura, when the lightest touch caused her heart to skip. One fingertip, and then two, grazed the back of her hand and settled. Jane glanced down where Maura's hand had sought out the contact and smiled.

* * *

"I love the reflection of the lights on the water at night, the smell of the salt air breeze…" Maura stopped their stroll to turn towards Boston Harbor. She placed her hands on the walkway rail and stared out at the rippling black expanse beyond, watched as the moonlight and other artificial lights around tipped the cresting water white, silver, and gold.

"Me too," Jane settled in next to her, their arms touching as they watched for a moment in silence.

"I miss sailing sometimes. The salt spray in your hair, that rough feeling on your hands at the end of the day. It's very freeing…being on the water. It doesn't know if you're a man or a woman, rich or poor, if you have a thousand friends back on the shore or none at all. There's a romanticism to it…that notion that you could go anywhere, discover anything."

Jane turned her head and watched the breeze rustle through Maura's hair as she closed her eyes and inhaled the smell. She reached for the strand of hair that had fallen in front of her friend's face and carefully tucked it back behind her ear. "That's the thing I never understood about people who travel so much. Getting all caught up in what there is to discover 'out there' that they never know what they really have 'right here'."

Maura smiled and faced her, her attention dragged away as music began to play from a hotel on the harbor. They both watched as shadowed silhouettes of couples took to a lighted outdoor patio to dance. She looked back at Jane, her skin kissed by the orange glow of the not so distant patio lighting, the moonlight reflection off the water twinkling in near black eyes. "I stayed," she murmured softly.

The music continued to drift around them, faint, but clear. Jane stepped closer, one hand lingering hesitantly on Maura's hip, asking for permission. "Dance with me?"

Wordlessly, Maura stepped into the invitation, letting Jane's arm snake around her and pull her in close, lacing their fingers together as they began to move. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arm around Jane in turn and tilting her head until her temple rested against the taller woman's cheek. There might as well have been no music at all from that moment on; it faded into oblivion along with the rolling tide of the harbor against the break. Maura heard only her heartbeat pounding furiously in her ear and the gentle exhale of Jane's breath as it twined in her hair. She stopped moving after several minutes, only because Jane stopped, completely oblivious as she was to whether music was still playing or not.

"I…" Jane whispered, her voice smoky and low, the rest of whatever sentence she planned to say carried off by the wind as her hand flexed and tightened its grip on Maura's lower back.

Maura smiled, keeping her arm anchored around Jane's waist as she slowly pulled her other hand free of Jane's. She slipped her fingers through Jane's hair and cupped the back of her head as she moved, pressing her lips to the skin of Jane's cheek near the corner of her mouth. Lingering there, she waited for a sign, some indication that it was ok to press on, to ask for…to take more.

A shaky breath ambled out, lightheaded euphoria consuming her as Jane realized she had been holding her breath throughout Maura's change in position. She turned towards the kiss, hoping… That small flicker of doubt she'd fought so hard to quell vanished as Maura's lips covered her own. Jane was consumed by the feeling, warm and soft, delicate yet controlling. Teeth scraped her bottom lip seductively and sent an excited jolt down her spine; she was putty in Maura's hands, letting the other woman's tongue slide between willing lips and claim her. Jane moaned, a throaty hum of pleasure, pushing back and finding that Maura acquiesced and ceded control willingly.

The kiss waned, though their hands still clutched tightly to each other, as if they feared separating would make it all an illusion. Maura released Jane's lower lip reluctantly, but hovered close, almost touching. "I didn't bid on you to save you from a date with Stuart Morris…"

"Oh?" Jane asked huskily, her hand easing against Maura's cheek so she could caress her skin.

Maura smiled, "Watching them bid for you; it was suddenly so clear what I wanted. What I've been wanting for quite some time, only I didn't have the courage to ask. I wanted to take you on a date. A real date. Not an evening after work at the Robber, or takeout in our pajamas at your place or mine…even though I love those moments with you. I love every moment with you. But, I wanted to know what it felt like to look across the table at you as more than a friend, and see if maybe you looked back at me the same way. That's why I bid."

Jane tilted Maura's chin up and kissed her again, "Money well spent?" She smirked, her eyes twinkling as her thumb continued to pass back and forth across Maura's flushed cheek.

With a shy laugh, Maura finally lifted her eyes to meet Jane's, "This night is priceless."


End file.
